Packing for long journey

I have been busy lately making a big order for Xidibyu an online company in Shanghai. As usual the production was a bit stressful as the numbers of pots ready and in the making kept moving. I never new if I had done them all until I actually lined all of them up on the dining table.

I loved making them because they were mainly my favourite items: cups and saucers.

From the beginning of my professional career I always stated that the cup is for me the reason for making ceramics in the first place. It is my desire to offer hospitality, and to share food and drink that motivated my making.

This week, the challenge has been the packing. I have a huge wooden crate in the garden ready to receive the pots, but to ensure that the journey will be safe there is a lot of engineering to be done. Luckily I married an engineer and he was very happy to spend his bank holiday Monday creating the packaging for the teapots protecting the handles from being hit or crushed, and then I carefully stacked the rest in polystyrene fish boxes. A huge number of cardboard boxes were cut into squares to protect rims and bases. Stacks of cups and saucers and bowls are now sitting in my lounge ready for this weekend job: the filling of the crate…not sure it will be big enough!